


Mist Visions

by krinblww



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: I Don't Even Know, Injury, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), My First Work in This Fandom, pls halp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-28 00:02:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20054728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krinblww/pseuds/krinblww
Summary: Warriors has some serious annoyances coming his way- a fic that's slightly dark, mostly sort of funny, and sprinkled with angst sprinkles. AU From jojo56830 on tumblr and it's great





	Mist Visions

Everything was all right. And it was for that exact reason that nothing was right, because Warriors was meandering through an old rotting house full of cobwebs and disconcerting sounds and his mind was screaming at him that everything was a-ok. It was also this confliction of stimuli that brought Warriors’ sword out of its sheath, checking every crevice for some sort of ambushing creature, or deranged crusty villager mostly but not entirely released from death’s hold.

The place in itself supported this expectation enthusiastically. The whole space stank of rot, but what was rotting other than wood Warriors did not quite wish to figure out. It reminded him somewhat of the ruins that dotted Wild’s Hyrule, in the sense that they were ruins, but the similarities ended there. Wild’s ruins were more of shells than spaces, and there was always something there to prove that life could still live in their walls. Like a ray of sunshine poking through a blast hole in the ceiling, or a patch of flowers and vines flourishing in a damp corner where people could not hold them back. This place beheld none of these aforementioned traits. And yet his brain was seeing everywhere as a nice, safe spot to relax and take a break, to sit down and revel about how much danger he wasn’t in.

So Warriors knew a few things. He knew that something, someone, was messing with his mind. That was obvious. He knew that he had to apprehend said thing and/or find an exit to get back to his companions. His tactical mind also put in that he was in the thing’s territory, so he should expect them to use that to their advantage and ambush the heck out of him. His tactical mind did not expect what his eyes beheld when he stalked haltingly into the next room.

The scent got to him before the image did, and yet it explained most everything. The fumes of rot and hopelessness that had become standard gave way suddenly, as soon as he stepped through the mutated doorway, into the undeniable stench of death.

He knew that scent well and it ate at him inside every single day. He knew it from the wide open fields that used to be beautiful but were then all red. Crimson. Scarlet. But not all, because of the bodies the split the red apart, split like the wounds that took them through, split like the wretched stench of despair and decay in the air, split like the scars those images would leave on his mind. He had seen so many. So many people that were reduced to just bodies. So many people with light gone from their faces. But had not expected one of the faces on the bodies to be him.

_ Wind._

He was _there_, leaned unceremoniously against the wall, all structural integrity lost from his body. His glassy, lifeless eyes staring off into the abyss. Little pearls of long-dried blood splattered everywhere on his skin. His mouth cocked open in an expression of perpetual terror. Warriors was sure he was mirroring that expression now.

_ Please. _

Why was it Wind? Why did it have to be the boy that swore like the sailor he is, the one that never ran from danger, the one that always sat close to Warriors at dusk, wrapped in his prized scarf, a steaming mug of milk in hand.

_Why? _

A tangled knot of grief worked its way up Warrior’s throat and released itself in a strangled cry. He felt himself shaking his head violently, then stood up.

_No. NO. This can’t be real. THIS CAN’T BE REAL_.

He couldn’t tell if he was thinking the words or saying them out loud, but he conformed to the statement instantly.

Looking back it was quite a psychological wonder that that was the first conclusion he came to, as he had every reason to think it would be real. But it just so happened that Warriors was in extreme grief, and the first thing that happens is that the mind tries to find every reason not to be. Considering Warriors’ previous experiences as a Link, an illusion seemed like a logical outcome of the situation, and his mind embraced the idea immediately.

He stepped back, still shaking his head in denial furiously.

_This isn’t real. _

And suddenly it made sense. There was no reason for Wind to be dead in a creepy house. There was no reason for there to be a creepy house. They were in Four’s Hyrule. Creepiness did not make a home there.

“This isn’t real.”

He raised his sword and widened his stance. and with his eyes shimmering from emotion, he charged. His sword swiped through Wind, then the wall behind Wind, like it was nothing. And it was. But then he felt the tip of his sword slice through something else, something that felt disturbingly like flesh.

Warriors shut his eyes in surprise as a gust of wind sucked at the scene, as if someone had opened a hole into a vacuum and everything was draining out. But when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing but swirling dust-toned mist. For the first time since he had entered the house, a delayed thought of _"this isn’t right"_ resounded in his mind.

Once the ominous ringing of the silence toned down in his ears, he could swear he heard heavy, labored breathing of something not quite human. It wasn’t that far away either. Fear and exhaustion started to gnaw at him. It wasn’t over.

_I just saw the dead body of my friend, and it’s not over? Can it just be over for one goddess-be-darned time?_

His question was answered for him as a voice choked out through the mist.

**Ow. **

It came from everywhere and yet nowhere. It was as if every molecule of infernal water in the mist had a twelve-year-old’s voice, but the tone went down exponentially with every other molecule that was speaking. In short, it sounded actually kind of funny.

But Warriors was not having fun. Because somewhere beneath the weird molecule voice, he heard footsteps. Coming closer.

**You’ll pay for that.**

Step by dreadful step. But where_ were they…_

For the second time the thing answered his question for him. Searing pain flashed through his whole body as he felt something cold slide into his back. A sword…?

**There you go. We’re even now, right? **

A strange choking sound that might have been laughter surrounded him.

_...Did I just get stabbed? _

He had enough time to turn his head around at his assailant before the thing yanked its sword out and Warriors crashed to the ground.

All he could catch was a pair of glowing red eyes. That was it.

“So… you are real….” Warriors choked out. “I was beginning… to think ... that... you were just... another illusion.”

And his vision faded to black.

-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-

“-the Goddesses, Warriors, you really scared us for a moment, how the fu-”

“Legend!”

Through Warriors’ slightly-opened eyes he could make out a somewhat green figure leaning over his line of vision, and maybe a shoulder of someone else.

“Oh, am I really the only one that’s asking that question? I mean, he just-”

“Guys..I’m…right here,”

Warriors’ words were slurred with exhaustion, but it wasn’t a terrible first line after waking up from injury-induced sleep. He had gotten good at that. He was always the one who would give witty one-liners during his battles, confusing all parties involved. He had a sneaking suspicion that he was wittiest when he was about to die.

He blinked. Everything was still a bit blurry, but he could make out Hyrule’s concerned face leaning over him and the edge of someone’s crimson tunic.

“Enjoyed your beauty sleep, Princess?”

_Legend._ It was Legend’s tunic.

It was like an instantaneous sass reflex had been activated by the sound of Legend’s voice. He didn’t even think about his response until after it hung in the air in front of him.

“Almost as much as I enjoyed my beauty stab wound, thank you.”

_Hold up. I have a stab wound?!_

Almost as if on cue his back erupted in fiery pain.

_Oh right. _That_ stab wound. _

Whatever Legend’s next snarky comment was going to be was cut short by Hyrule’s soft voice.

“It’s just so… strange. You’ll have to tell us what happened.”

“Why… why is that?” Warriors forced out through pain and gritted teeth.

“None of your organs were damaged. The cut was made with surgical precision. All I had to do was give you a fairy and stitch up the wound.”

Warriors made an attempt to get up and face Hyrule, but a headache decided to add to his overall discomfort. Though it was nothing compared to the question that Hyrule’s words gave light to.

_Why didn’t he kill me?_

His tactical mind whirred to life, like it always did with questions he couldn’t answer. What did he know? He knew that it was Dark on the other end of that sword. Dark Link. He recognized those red eyes, it could be no one else. He also knew that Warriors had hurt him. He had felt the flesh rip on the end of his sword, he had heard his labored breathing, his “You’ll pay for that.” His mouth twitched up into a smirk. He had gotten the first hit on their target. He also knew that Dark Link had hurt him. He had stabbed him in the back. But he could have stabbed him in the heart. Or the neck.

For whatever reason, Dark Link wanted him alive. And this could only be because he had a plan for them.

Warriors got up. His back burned, but he had sat through worse. “Dark has something is store for us,” He said as assertively as possible.

“So whatever happens, be ready.”

**Author's Note:**

> So comes my first work in the fandom! yeehaw. Kind of a stupid way to end for a work that doesn't have a sequel, right? Kind of a stupid way to end, period. And i think my writing style changed midway through the work. It's been a while, ok? I don't know how anything works ever anywhere, so if i mess up do contact me or summin'


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